The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 588

August in Seoul and invariably Japan, is still pretty toasty warm. Summer is in full bloom and summer wear a given. Back on 14 August 2013, the men of MBLAQ were en route to Japan to begin their Zepp Sensation Tour. G.O was rocking all kinds of summer sensation style as he ambled through Incheon that day.

Let’s break this look down because there is so much going on here that I love. I want to start at the top with that perky Panama fedora. I have seen these fedoras countless times but never knew they were a particular brand or style. As it turns out Panama fedoras have a long and interesting history that dates back to 17th Ecuador. According to history, hat weaving began in the mid-1600s in Ecuador and grew steadily throughout the 18th century. Per the encyclopedia of Wikipedia, “In 1835, Manuel Alfaro, a man who in many ways can be considered the grandfather of the Panama hat arrived in Montecristi to make his name and fortune in Panama hats. He set up a Panama hat business with his main objective being exportation. Cargo ships from Guayaquil and Manta were filled with his merchandise and headed to the Gulf of Panama. His business prospered as more and more Gold Rush prospectors arrived and passed through Panama needing a hat for the sun.” The hats are made from the leaves of the toquilla palm.

They were expensive when it came to exporting to the east, so production began in Taiwan to compete with an east version known as the tamsui hat which was made from a similar straw fibre that grew plentiful on the island. So really G.O’s may in fact be a tamsui hat that he either purchased in Taiwan or was gifted to by Taiwan A+.^^ Either way, it clearly is one of many variety of fedoras G.O has in his collection and this one perfect for late summer days complementing the reddish hue of his hair. G.O wearing a hat is forever stylish.

Next is that beautiful loose fitting white shirt with the black band border accent along the shirt’s hem-line and those stylish black long shorts or, man capris <~~ don’t you love the button embellishment along the pockets? The brilliant white shirt looks wonderful under the sun and its loose fit so airy and comfortable. I am trying not to gush too much over G.O’s muscular and shapely calves but . . . oh my! We don’t get to see them too often and he certainly was showing them off nicely at Incheon that day.

Finally, his laceless casual loafers round out his very balanced black and white look. Really, he is so very symmetrical in his style and this was a perfect choice (from head to toe) for a balmy Seoul summer day.